


Close to Perfect

by Rachel_Lu



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Awkward proposal, Dinner, Engagement, F/M, Falling In Love, Getting Together, I Love You, Just Married, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2015-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 13:24:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5376839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachel_Lu/pseuds/Rachel_Lu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose thinks that the Doctor is ignoring her.  Little does she know that he's just making plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close to Perfect

Rose thought that the Doctor had been acting very strange the past few days.  Their 'new new relationship' as he called it, was still very, well, new.  The kissing was new, but both of them liked it alot, so they might as well have been doing it since they'd met.  

But lately, he'd seemed distracted, only giving her absent minded pecks on the lips as he passed her in the console room or as they cuddled in the library.  It made her very, very frustrated.  Unbelievably frustrated.  

"Doctor?" she asked carefully when she was rustling up breakfast, hoping not to snap him out of whatever he was thinking about.

"Hm?" He lifted his head from the piece he was tinkering with at the table.  "Yes, Rose?"

She offered him a quick glance before turning back.  "Are you getting bored with me?"

She bit her bit, trying not to laugh as she heard a strangled "What?" and a chair clattering to the ground.  Suddenly, a certain Time Lord had his arms around her from behind, his chin on her shoulder.  "Why would you think that?"

She lifted the shoulder his chin wasn't on, knowing he'd be able to feel it.  "You just don't seem terribly... Invested, and that's alright, I can respect that space if that's what you need, but-"

Her rambling was cut short as he bit her shoulder, as if in scolding.  "I'm not bored of you," he promised lowly.  "Every second I spend away from you just makes me wasn't to be with you all the more, you have to understand that."

"Okay, Doctor."

"No, I want you to believe it," he said firmly, "I want you to believe what I feel for you."

She turned the burner on the stove off and turned around in his arms, looping her arms around his neck.  "I do.  Just thought you know, big Time Lord and that, you might've had enough of the human."

"I don't think I could ever have enough of you," he said thoughtfully, and leaned forward to kiss her, slowly and deeply, as though making up for neglecting her over the past few days.

She accepted it as an apology and pulled away, giggling.  "Alright, point proven," she said, turning back to their breakfast.  He pressed another kiss to her neck before darting back to the table. 

"By the way," he said conversationally, "I'm going to be fixing dinner tonight, so don't you think about doing anything."

"If that's what you want, Doctor."

She couldn't help but wonder what he'd muttered under his breath after she'd said that, but whatever it was, it made her smile.  

He sent her to the library as he was preparing dinner, saying that it was a surprise and if she saw anything he was doing it would completely ruin the surprise and did she really want to ruin his surprise, Rose?  It would be rather rude, and after all, he was supposed to be the rude one.  She'd only laughed and went to the library to curl up with her book, but she couldn't stay focused.

It wasn't her birthday.  It wasn't a holiday, unless they were going to celebrate some alien tradition that she didn't know about.  Even then, he would've been nattering on about it all day if that's what it was.  The fact that he was being so secretive made her a little nervous, but the TARDIS sent her a hum of reassurance, and she tried to accept it. 

However, she couldn't keep focused on her book, and soon she was standing and pacing and nervous.  She didn't know what he was doing, and he was all alone in the galley.  She trusted the Doctor, absolutely, just not with kitchen utensils. 

As if sensing her discomfort, the TARDIS laid out what Rose was supposed to wear that night on the couch.  Rose glanced over at it, seeing as the TARDIS had given it to her when her back was turned.  She cocked an eyebrow and walked over to it.

It was a long, silver dress, and Rose really couldn't imagine what he was up to now. The TARDIS had also provided her with high heeled silver shoes and light pink earrings.  She smiled, knowing the Doctor had picked it out, because he hadn't really figured in the whole 'matching' thing.  The TARDIS gave her a sympathetic hum at that, making Rose giggle. 

She picked it up, marveling in the silky feel of the thing, and hurried off to her bedroom with all the things to change and do up her hair and makeup.  She knew they weren't going out, and she felt silly getting all dressed up to sit in the galley, but if this was, for some strange reason, what the Doctor wanted, who was she to say no?  Besides, it might be fun, she did really love dressing up, especially when they were going to new places.

It wasn't five minutes after she'd finished putting herself together that a little note slipped under her door.  She picked it up and read it, not even having to question who it was and somehow loving that he was being so terribly cryptic about all of this.

_Rose,_

_Come to the galley, please._

_The Doctor._

His notes were like letters, when he left them, rambling and long and Rose furrowed her brows, wondering where his gob had gone now.  Nevertheless, she was about to find out what he was up to, and that's what she had wanted.  She headed down to the galley, surprised when she saw the door had changed.

Instead of the simple wooden door that usually stood there, a set of oak doors with golden handles stood there.  Rose blinked in shock, not sure why he'd done this.  The TARDIS reassured her in her mind that this was, in fact, the correct door.  She moved a hand slowly to open the door.  

Inside was the most beautiful room Rose had ever seen in her life.  It was a large oak room, a shade lighter than the doors.  Chandeliers hung from the ceiling and in the middle of the room was a two person table, the tablecloth red and covered in rose petals.  The irony did not escape her.  

She noticed, upon entering the room further, that there were places to sit, and the table was in the middle of a dance floor.

That brought her back to what should've been her original question.  Where was the Doctor?  She glanced around the room, and with as massive as it was, she should've seen him.  Then he appeared out of what appeared to be a secret door, there in front of her, smiling widely.

He was wearing a white suit, which seemed so drastically different from his original brown that she had to blink and focus back in.  In addition he had new trainers on, silvery grey to match her dress, and a red dress shirt, the first two buttons open, the tie forgone entirely.  She suspected that this was because he didn't know what color to wear with it.

At  his expression, she grinned as well. "I see you've redecorated," she said casually, lacing her fingers in front of her.  

He winked at her as he reached out for her hand.  "Would you like to dance before dinner?" 

She raised her eyebrows, but he could tell by the smile on her face that she just couldn't believe it.  She placed her hand in his and let him draw her close.  Classical music queued up, courtesy of the TARDIS, Rose was sure, and he led her to the most open space of dance floor, though they really weren't taking up that much space.  

"You look beautiful," he said softly, his eyes tender as he looked at her face.  

Rose thought her face might crack with how much she was smiling.  "I like the white.  You think you can keep it clean through dinner?"

"Oi!" 

She giggled and laid her head on his shoulder, feeling his hum of contentment reverberate through her.  

"Am I boring you already, Rose Tyler?"

"Never."

She pulled back to look at him again and they talked in hushed tones as they moved about the floor, as though they weren't the only people there.  After about four songs, the Doctor turned and nodded towards the table.  Rose looked over her shoulder and saw that their dinner had materialized on the table.  She beamed at him before they moved to sit. 

It was a rather magnificent dinner, and she had to admire his attention to detail.  He'd picked foods she'd especially mentioned from certain planets, and of course, there were chips.  The music played faintly in the background and Rose thought that this was simply the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her. 

"You did all this," she said in awe, "You remembered everything."

He reached out for her hand over the table and she took it gratefully.  "I make it my personal hobby to memorize you, Rose, because I want you to be happy."

She squeezed his hand.  "I am."

It was all going really, truly smoothly until something fell out of the Doctor's pocket when he shifted slightly.  He stiffened and glanced down at it before moving it under his chair with his foot.

"What was that?" Rose asked.

"Nothing."

"No, no, that was something, nothing doesn't go 'thunk.'  What was it?"

"Uhh, something of mine.  You really don't need to worry."

"Yes, i think I do," Rose cocked an eyebrow.  "I didn't get you anything, and that sounded like a present."

The Doctor gave her a disbelieving look, "How do you know what a present sounds like?"

She shrugged.  "I have my ways."

He sighed and rolled his eyes before reaching under his chair for whatever it was he had dropped.  "Rose, you have completely ruined the surprise."

She was about to open her mouth and ask him what he was talking about when she saw that he was shifting very nervously, nearly shaking.  And he wasn't meeting her gaze.  She swallowed and continued to watch him.  "Are...  Are you alright?" 

"Yes, I'm perfectly alright, Rose, just fine, shall we finish dinner?"

Seeing the Doctor, who was usually the epitome of suave, nervous and seemingly afraid, made her heart swell with affection for him.  "Well, Doctor, now you're in a state now, and that's not very you know, helpful to a-" 

Rose was cut off by him stumbling out of his chair and kneeling before her, grabbing her hands in his own shaking ones.  Her eyes nearly popped from her head at the sudden movement.  "Doctor?"

"Letmetalk," He rushed out, lifting up so he was situated balancing on his left knee and right foot.  "Rose, I've never met anyone like you, and I shouldn't be as afraid to do this as I am, seeing as you're here with me and quite lovely, by the way.  But just as you say I've shown you a better way to live, you've shown me the  _best_  way to live.  With you.  And I'd like to live that life for the rest of time."

"Doctor, I-"

"I want forever with you, Rose Tyler.  I want to take you every planet in the stars, I want you to live forever, and I can get you close to that, if you want.  I'd very much like to marry you."

"Yes!"

He looked at her sheepishly.  "To which one?" 

She beamed at him.  "All of the above."

He pulled out the ring, cut in the shape of a rose and lined with the tiniest diamonds Rose had ever seen, and slipped it on her finger.  He got to his feet and pulled her to him, kissing her as though he'd never be able to kiss her again.  

They only pulled away when rose petals started to fall from the ceiling, the TARDIS's input in the situation, and they laughed together before she kicked off her shoes and jumped back into his arms, reveling in his touch and looking at the ring over her shoulder.

"I love you," he whispered, like a secret, like a promise.

"I love you too."

They danced and laughed in that room until the both of them were completely exhausted and cuddled up in bed together, falling asleep.  Rose didn't take her ring off. The Doctor noticed. 

  And they never quite got rid of that room.  They had to ask the TARDIS to make a new galley so they could keep the way they'd made the old one. 

Rose Tyler mused, as she watched him make breakfast the next morning in his boxers and undershirt, that she was quite possibly the luckiest woman in the galaxy. 

Of course, the Doctor  _knew_ that he was the luckiest man.

They had forever.


End file.
